Man jailed for raping juvenile

Luthando Mapepa Post Correspondent
TAKING advantage of the absence of his wife to lure a 13-year-old juvenile to bed earned a 20-year-old Chimanimani man 15 months imprisonment. The accused, Blessing Zakaria (20) of Kushinga Village under Chief Ngorima, was convicted on his own plea of guilty when he appeared before Chipinge magistrate, Mr Makamera Waini, on Tuesday facing charges of having sexual intercourse with a juvenile.

Representing the State, Mr Witness Nyamundaya, said for the period extending from September 14 to 16, Zakaria slept with the juvenile from the same village.

“In the first count, on September 14 at around 9pm, the complainant sneaked out of their house leaving behind her grandmother fast asleep and went to Zakaria’s house where she slept with him.

“The juvenile slept there that night and went back home the following morning around 5am. On September 15 around 9pm, the juvenile jumped through a broken window as the door was locked and went to Zakaria’s house where the two slept together. On her return around 5am the following morning she found her grandmother awake and she was asked where she was coming from. She responded and lied that she was coming from the toilet.

“On September 16, the juvenile went to Zakaria’s house where they slept together again. When she returned home the following morning and was asked by her grandmother where she was coming from, she did not respond.

“The matter only came to light after the complainant’s grandmother heard rumours from villagers that the complainant was in love with Zakaria. The grandmother interviewed her and she confessed that she had slept with him for three days at his house. The matter was reported to the police leading to Zakaria’s arrest,” he said.

Asked why he was having sex with a 13-year-old juvenile, Zakaria said he was not aware that he was committing an offence as he wanted to marry her.

“We agreed to sleep together after I had promised to marry her in the near future since I was not sure whether my wife was going to return early. Your Worship, I was not aware that I was committing any offence because we agreed to sleep together,” he said.

In sentencing him, Mr Waini said cases of child abuse were alarming in areas like Chimanimani and Chipinge hence a custodial sentence was vital to deter would-be offenders.

He was sentenced to 15 months in prison, six months of which were suspended on condition that he did not commit a similar offence in the next five years.